1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to paper receptacles. More specifically, the invention relates to bottle carriers of the kind traditionally formed from cardboard and used to store, ship, and hand-carry bottles containing beverages.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bottle carriers commonly known as six-packs are used to carry a variety of beverages including soft drinks and beer. Most of these carriers are complex in structure, including a bottom wall under each of the carried bottles and four side walls forming a compartment with an enclosed perimeter that surrounds each bottle. In the typical six-pack carton, there will be six compartments arranged in two longitudinal rows of three compartments each. A central handle may be associated with the compartment walls forming the common side between the two rows. The primary disadvantages of this type of carton are that it requires complicated folding to construct the carton and a great deal of cardboard is wasted in cutting the blank that is formed into the final product.
One of the limiting features for carton construction is defined by Rule 41 promulgated by the Uniform Freight Classification Committee, which is comprised of the railroad industry. The rule requires that there be no bottle to bottle contact, the grade of board used for a carrier be a minimum of 0.024 inches in calipher and test at 92 pounds per thousand square feet. When the requirements of the rule are met, the railroad will be responsible for damage in transit. While every shipper desires to accommodate the rule, it is important to ship a load compactly and with a minimum of weight and bulk. Therefore, it is important that the required interbottle cushioning be achieved while keeping the carton size to a minimum.